Jeremy Lin has fun in session with young Taiwanese players

2012/08/04 22:24:59

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) Visiting NBA star Jeremy Lin held a basketball clinic Saturday evening and interacted closely with local young talent at an outdoor court in Taipei.

Showing 14 local point guards how to dribble and lay up, the first American-born NBA player of Taiwanese descent spent about half an hour patiently breaking down every move and action, teaching them how to do better.

Arriving in Taipei at 5 a.m. Saturday, the 23-year-old NBA sensation did not seem tired at all, attending two fan meets in a row in the evening after practicing for nearly five hours earlier in the day.

At the clinic, the NBA star also shared a trick how to train and improve coordination -- tossing up a tennis ball while dribbling. Many of the young players failed to do so properly.

"It is like once in a life time," one of the young players said of the clinic, expressing gratitude and excitement. The young players also got a chance to play two games with Lin coaching on the side.

However, Lin did not stay through the game, where hundreds of fans gathered outside the court. He called it a day with a three-point shot.

It is Lin's first visit to Taiwan since his meteoric rise from obscurity with the New York Knicks earlier this year and his recent signing of a three-year, US$25 million contract to play for the Houston Rockets.

He was scheduled to attend a news conference in Taipei's upscale Hsinyi District the following day.

After his Taiwan visit, Lin will fly to China for a basketball camp. He will return to Taiwan in late August to host a similar camp for a group of 120 young players Aug. 27-30.

He will also attend an evangelical gathering hosted by a local television station Sept. 2.